


Color and Sound

by thechosentwo



Category: Back to the Future (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Time Travel, stripper!marty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:00:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25870234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thechosentwo/pseuds/thechosentwo
Summary: After being kicked out of his house at 16 by his step-dad Biff, Marty got by on his own for a couple of years until he turned to dancing and sex work. Now 19, he runs into an eccentric scientist while trying to reignite his old passion for music and strikes up a friendship. When time travel gets involved his entire world changes, but he's still the same Marty.
Relationships: Emmett "Doc" Brown/Marty McFly
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Color and Sound

She's taking her time making up the reasons  
To justify all the hurt inside, guess she knows  
From the smiles and the look in their eyes  
Everyone's got a theory about the bitter one  
\- Savage Garden (To The Moon & Back)

In the dark things all seemed closer, tighter, tense. The world shrank down to the 10 square feet he could see, and everything beyond that was danger. He focused on his body. Movements and strength he could control, he could perform. This he was capable of. It took no thought anymore, dancing like this. He just breathed through his fingertips and let it take him. 

He finished with a smile, holding his panting behind his teeth. The cheers and chatter hit his ears with a crash. He waved at nothing and walked back to the steps, the next man brushing past him with an encouraging touch to his shoulder. It was done for the night, now he could settle into the crowd and let the music wash over him. Easy like. 

No one really had a face to him. It was just pretending to sip drinks and feign laughter, eyes fixed on the spot right behind their left shoulder. Looking up the lights were always behind them anyway, everyone a silhouette. Tips tucked in his underwear the only real evidence he was talking to people and not the mannequin he used for practice. God, he was exhausted. 

"Marty?" Warm, rough hands on his shoulder as he approached a new customer, a tall man in ill-fitting clothes. "Marty?" He said again. 

The confused tone got Marty to focus for the first time that night. Dark but bright eyes stared at him with concern and worst of all recognition. Who was this guy again? How'd Marty know him...? Oh. Fuck. He flashed back to the moment he handed over his card in the old garage. He’d written this place's address and not his. God damn muscle memory. Emmett Brown stood in front of him, looking for all his height like a swan in a room full of ugly ducks. Even in his heels, Marty barely reached his shoulders. 

The speed with which he composed himself was impressive. He plastered the coy smile back on and toyed with the collar of Emmett's shirt. Emmett looked flustered and confused. Marty was surprised he’d been brave enough to come in, let alone look for him. Marty wondered if he’d seen him dance. "Well look at you, finding me here of all places." Nevermind he was probably just trying to drop off the damn amplifier. "Why don't you meet me in the dressing room in 5?" He said with a wink. 

Emmett's face was inscrutable in the light, but his jaw was tense.

"Just tell the bouncer Marty sent you for a package," Marty said, closer to Emmett's ear, maintaining his character, standing on toes and leaning in intimately. 

Emmett nodded and paused like he wanted to say something, then just nodded again and turned, wading through the crowd, head visible over everyone almost all the way to the door. Fuck. He was gonna pay for this later. He teased and flirted his way over, hurried but still performing. The illusion had to be maintained. He got to Bill's spot out of breath and sweating like he had been all night. Bill looked up at him suspiciously. 

"That guy good with you, kid? I can kick him out." 

Marty's smirk was genuine this time. "Yeah Bill, he's fine. I gave him the wrong fucking address you believe that? Muscle memory really screwed me hah." 

He tucked behind the big man and walked briskly past the other doors down to the group dressing room. Emmett was examining a lipstick very intently and dropped it the moment he saw Marty in the mirror. The poor man looked as mortified as Marty felt. Ah well... it'd be a shame to lose such a reasonably priced shop but if he couldn't keep this professional? Marty grimaced. 

"Hey, I'm real sorry I sent you here, I must have given you the wrong card by accident," he fidgeted with one of his suspenders. "Can ya just kinda forget you saw all this and we can go about our business?" 

Emmett's face changed instantly. The man was an open book, expressive like that. The eyebrows were a real tell, Marty thought bemused. It was nice. An honest face. He’d be shit at poker. "Of course, Marty! I apologize if this has made you uncomfortable in any way, I will not be attending this uh, establishment any further. I had no intention of overstepping our client boundary." 

The guy really meant it, didn’t he? He wasn’t even gonna make a joke. "I've got your amplifier in my car, do you want me to bring it in here or take it to your apartment another day like we agreed?" 

He didn't even ask Marty to go out to his car with him. The thoughtfulness was touching. For a second he considered whether he’d be able to get the thing back home on the bus. It would probably be fine. "I uh... let me grab a coat and I'll just walk out with you? My shift was done anyway." 

It was a lie, but not by much. He wouldn't be missed and the crowd was thinning anyway. More tips for the other guys. He grabbed his coat off the pile in the corner, a utilitarian navy windbreaker. Thin, but it did the job well enough. He zipped it up and used a wipe to get the more noticeable makeup off his face. "Okay, let’s get out of here." 

They went out the back door, Marty ruffling his hair out of its gelled back order into something more civilian. He locked the entrance behind Doc. "I'm sorry again, for intruding like this," Emmett said, leading the way around to the alley. 

"Don't worry about it. Could've gone worse for both of us." 

Emmett scratched his nose and attempted to look at ease. 

The amp was a thing of beauty. Doctor Brown had taken some liberties, adding a couple of dials for controls it hadn't had before, replacing the broken back panel. "No charge for the extra work, I get carried away sometimes. Hope it's alright. Should be functional at least."

Marty just gawked. It looked like it was worth a hundred more than he'd paid for it in the first place. "It's great! Perfect!" 

He looked up at Emmett's pleased expression. He really had a nice face. If he had a minute maybe he could come up with an excuse to see it again. "Hey, why don't you let me buy you dinner or a drink? Not a come on, just to say thanks for being cool about all this mess, and for the work, you did besides." 

"Oh! Is it not too late... don't you want to get home?" Right, it was 2 am and the only thing open was the dive by his apartment. Not the nicest place. Still. 

"I know a place that's open. It's not quality, but you did me a solid so why not. I could unwind unless you wanna get to bed." Being around Emmett was fun. He was entertaining to watch and listen to. Only took these few moments to be reminded of that, and the exhaustion took a back seat to his sudden urge to watch and listen just a little longer. 

"Oh, I don’t sleep much. That sounds fine. Alright if I drive?" 

"Well I can’t so I hope so. We could take the bus I guess."

Emmett laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> may or may not write more for this AU, but I liked this bit so I wanted to post it while I was deciding


End file.
